Just in case I would like to go back and forth betweenHi bass 4th to standard tuning. What would you suggest?Having standard tuning strings , and retuning to hi bass 4thOr vice versa?!Any special setup needed?

I just tuned my 12th string down a whole step to see if I liked it. I did like it and for a while had planned to add a Keith banjo tuner - you know the one with 2 tunable preset stops so I could go back an forth in an instant. However I found that there was no need for that because 99% of the time I could reach both the old note and the new note just by leaving it tuned to a 4th and simply adjusting my finger shapes. At that point I went to a slightly thicker string - a plain .013 for the 12th string. It's a great addition to the bass side and you definitely gain way more than you lose. It works best on a 12 string Grand BTW. I'm not sure about a 10 string because for me it would screw up the 7th tones of chords based off the low G string and put too many things out of reach.

Hey Boaz.I've done it and there's no special ops required with regard to setup. The intonation difference is negligible, due to the fact that the majority of your chording will be done lower on the fretboard, so don't fuck with your flaps or saddle.....unless of course you are Tom Griesgraber and bass 4th is your go to......he likes to fine tune the shit out of that thing.

4th bass on the top string is a super powerful tool in my humble opinion,.....Griesgraber as well as Martino really use it to the nth degree.....its a fucking beautiful thing. Watch Rob slap that index down with extreme conviction on that top string when he plays.....cheers kev

I asked Greg about this awhile ago, about taking the standard 5ths 12th string and tuning down to a fourth...and going back and forth and the possibility of breakage. He said it never happened to him. Well, I believed him. (he hasn't steered me wrong yet). I've been messing with it lately, and of course I have to tune back up to 5th for old tunes, and...no breakage. I might add I've owned a Stick since '85 and I've never broken a string. And I've tried LOTS of "alternate" tunings (never more than a step up with gauges at hand) I also have every string I've ever had on these damn things "just in case". I'm finally gonna put them to use I have an Autoharp that needs strings and I'm not paying $90 for new ones. (It's an "experimental" Autoharp. Might need to change the chord bars and "enhance" the onboard p.u. w/ some old Strat p.u.s...)

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